Perth sales activity on the rise

Sales activity in the Perth metro area increased significantly in February.

REIWA President Hayden Groves said the market had enjoyed a healthy rebound following the Christmas and New Year dip.

“reiwa.com data shows sales activity in Perth lifted 16 per cent over the month and five per cent when compared to November 2015.

“We’ve also seen that weekly sales over the last three weeks are higher than they were at the same time last year. While it’s too early to call this a trend it’s a good indicator that mobility in the market is beginning to improve,” Mr Groves said.

At a sub-regional level, the Central sub-region had the strongest increase in sales activity over the month lifting a healthy 37 per cent, followed by the North West sub-region with a 24 per cent lift.

“Baldivis in the South West sub-region and Canning Vale in the South East sub-region were the top selling suburbs in February, followed by Scarborough in the Central sub-region,” Mr Groves said.

Perth’s median house price etched back 1.1 per cent in the three months to February, coming in at $529,000.

Listings

Mr Groves said there had been a three per cent increase in listings stock in February which wasn’t surprising as vendors traditionally returned to the market at the start of the year.

“This is a marginal increase given the time of year, but it’s significant to note that listings are now eight per cent lower than they were in November which suggests this could be the early stages of a correction in a market of prolonged higher than average stock levels,” Mr Groves said.

Rental market

Perth’s overall median rent price held firm at $400 per week in the three months to February 2016.

In terms of houses and units, Mr Groves said the median price for both was unchanged over the month at $400 and $380 per week respectively, but each had dipped $10 per week when compared to November 2015.

“While tenants are still in a good position to secure a competitively priced lease in Perth, it’s encouraging for investors that rent prices are appearing to steady in 2016,” Mr Groves said.

Rental listings in the Perth metro area declined three per cent in February but remain above the long term average.

Hi Lisa , Just wanted to send you an email to say thank you very much for your help in selling our home. We can’t thank you enough for everything you did to make the process so easy. Melissa and I had met with many real estate agents while deciding whether to sell or not. Some of them made us feel uneasy or they were pushy , or cocky but after our first meeting with you we felt that you were on the same page as us , we felt comfortable because you were very approachable and open to our thoughts. Your knowledge of the market and the area was reflected perfectly with how fast you sold our home , and we were very grateful to your self and to swan valley realty for the professionalism but also for not feeling like another real estate robot. We honestly couldn’t have imagined a more simple process from our first meeting to our last . Thank you again for your great work.We will be definitely spreading your good name to everyone we know.Aaron and Melissa Bandy

I wrote a post on Monday about a group of lady’s who are over 50, who were inspired by a poem to inject a bit of fun and friendship into their lives.

Realizing how poems can inspire and be an avenue for a creative outlet The Ellenbrook Library and Ellenbrook Secondary College both embraced poetry as part of National Numeracy and Literacy week.

Students made pocket sized scrolls with poetry scrawled on the inside – these ‘Poems In Your Pocket’ were then distributed at the school, library and other places in the community for people to be able to pick up a poem on the go. What a great idea! Another great community initiative in Ellenbrook.

I enjoyed a delicious coffee at the new Mecca Gourmet in Aveley last week. It is a coffee shop, pizza place and cafe that is open early until late 7days a week. The shop is beautifully fitted out, the service was great and the cakes look lovely- must try next time I visit! They do a Detox Breakfast that looks divine- it has crispy bacon, chorizo, roasted potato, garlic, onion, poached egg, avocado and salsa. Yum! Mecca Gourmet is situated at the shops on Egerton Drive, Aveley

I took my little monsters to Halloween at the Marshalls on Friday night in Aveley and was so impressed with the effort the Marshalls went to to put on a great Halloween event for the community. It is getting so popular we had to wait in a line to go through the haunted tunnel. And scary! My daughter not only screamed but also cried!! For more photos of the night go to their Facebook page at Halloween at the Marshalls.

A relocation program is being considered by developers and the government for the abundant kangaroos in the area. Department of Parks and Wildlife said between 150 and 200 kangaroos could be relocated to Gorrie State Forrest block, just south of Chidlow and The Lakes. Culling is not being considered at this stage. Instead the kangaroos will be tranquilized and transported about 50km away.

The wildlife population faces competing with the 4700 eventual homes and two town centres that will be built by Stockland as part of Vale. Stockland say they will retain more than 26 per cent of the site for bushland and wetland conservation and reserves that will be accessible as public open space.

New laws have been introduced that allow councils through council resolution rather than local law to determine where dogs can exercise and where they need to be kept on a leash at all times.As such the City of Swan has flagged the following parks as proposed parks where dogs must be kept on a leash at all times;

Ellenbrook Resident, Kara Ringland welcomes the stricter rules. She volunteers for Ellenbrook Pet Finders and hears about five or six instances every week where pets or owners are attacked or intimidated by dogs. She hopes the stricter rules will help fine people who don’t care about the safety of others by letting their dogs roam free.

This is one of our new listings at 4 O’Halloran Street, Ellenbrook. It was completed in May this year and sits in a prime position on the Ellenbrook/The Vines boarder. It is an extremely appealing well designed house that utilizes the compact low maintenance block well with ample indoor living space and also enough room for relaxing or entertaining in the backyard.

Move straight in and enjoy the design and comfort of all the latest fittings and fixtures. My favourite feature is the Essa Stone island bench top with breakfast bar in White Truffle. The ensuite and main bathroom vanity also have Essa Stone tops.

For further information or for a private viewing feel free to give me a call on 0438 080 921. Alternatively check Reiwa or Realestate.com.au for home open time this Sunday

An Ellenbrook woman received a death threat in her letter box from a neighbour claiming they would ‘take matters into their own hands’ if her dogs did not stop their continuous barking. The neighbour was caught on camera delivering the note which threatened to kill the dogs if they didn’t stop barking.

The contents of the note was reported to Ellenbrook police. The woman caught on camera was then cautioned by police. The note writer claims the dog owner had taken no notice of written warnings from the City of Swan. The dog owner has stated she did not receive the warnings and that her dogs are good dogs.

City procedures for neighbours to deal with dog complaints can be lengthy. An information pack is provided to the complainant, who can then tick boxes to describe the time and length of the nuisance, after which a letter is sent to the dog owner. If the problem persists, complainants can maintain a logbook, which the City can use to act. The RSPCA encouraged owners to seek training courses if their dog’s barking had become an issue.

Little Alex Watson (4) of Ellenbrook needs to find a suitable bone marrow donor to cure him of a rare genetic condition called chronic granulomatos. Alex is the only person in WA with this rare condition that effects his immune system and prevents him from effectively breaking down bacteria and flushing it from his system. Since he was diagnosed with the condition in April last year his parents Shelly and Rob have taken him to the hospital about 150 times.

The good news is that there is a 90% survival rate for people with CGD who get bone marrow transplants from a suitable donor. So Alex’s father Rob is on a mission to find a suitable donor for Alex and others. He has organised a bone marrow donor drive, with a goal to educate and ask suitable donors to register on the day.

Representatives from the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry and a local Elllenbrook bone marrow recipient will speak at the information session to be held at 33 Comserve Loop, Ellenbrook from noon to 4pm on October 26th.

Let’s do what we can to spread this message about a local boy in need of the communities assistance.

The Boutique Travel Cafe in Aveley (the first cafe’ with an integrated travel agency within it’s premises in WA) has just had a liquor licence approved. They now plan to open up for Tapas two or three times a week as of next year.

Currently they are open from 8am – 7pm Monday to Friday, from 8am – 5pm on Saturday and 1.30pm – 5.30pm on Sunday. Apart from the delicious sandwiches, wraps and fresh salads available they now also provide a small range of cooked breakfasts all week and weekend.

I like how they are keeping it local by using coffee supplier Fiori, which roasts it’s coffee in Middle Swan.

766 Ellenbrook Primary School Children broke a Guinness World Record by creating a human forest. It was all part of a wider effort to involve children in a creative endeavor to get their imaginations and energy inspired and to promote reading. Author Andy Griffith, who originally suggested the idea and has written a book called The 52 Story Treehouse, said it was great to see the tree theme and record attempt captivating young minds. Chris Sheedy, an official representative for Guinness flew in to Perth to witness the attempt and make it official.

It’s great that Ellenbrook is growing and thriving but with growth comes some issues with traffic congestion and the need for more infrastructure and services. So i’ts good to know that the following will be occuring soon.

Gnangara Rd is closer to becoming a dual roadway. Now that the excision of 19.8ha of state forest has passed both houses of Parliament all that is needed is a notice to be published in the Government Gazzette and then the works can start. The road will become a dual roadway between Drumpellier Dr and Alexander Dr. It is expected the construction will commence this year and be completed in 2016.

Anybody who has driven down Main Street outside of Ellenbrook Secondary College during school starting and closing times will be aware of the hazard it has been posing to students. After a spate of near misses and a low speed collision between a student and a a car earlier this year, the school is set to get flashing LED school zone signs and an application is in the pipeline for two manned school crossings. Hopefully this will reduce the risk of a more serious accident.

An Aveley mum has been nominated for an award for the 2014 AusMumprepeur Awards.The awards celebrate and recognize mothers who are successful in a business while also managing to balance motherhood and family life. Natasha Burns has been nominated for her business Ladybug Literacy for Kids which is a program designed to develop pre-literacy skills in pre-school children. Classes are held in Aveley and Bullsbrook. Good luck Natasha!

Three generations of a local Henley Brook family will be competing at this years Perth Royal Show in the wood-chopping event. Rob Reynolds (78 years old) is the oldest family member and he has been competitively wood-chopping for almost 60 years. The youngest family member is Austin Reynolds who is eight years old. In the middle is Austin’s dad Brett Reynolds and along with his three other sons all six members will compete for the third year in a row. Good luck Reynolds family!

Great turnout on Saturday 13th September to the Local and General Markets in Ellenbrook. Some interesting stalls selling unique and funky products. Swan Valley Realty was there providing free snow cones and over the 4 hours we gave away 240 cones! Hope to see everyone at the next Local and General markets in November